A Shinigami Only Turns 21 Once
by ABundridge
Summary: "Hi, I'm Ichigo Kurosaki. Today is my 21st birthday." Ichigo, in hopes of a party from his friends is sent on a wild trip around Karakura to keep him occupied while Rukia and the gang prepare for a night he will hopefully never forget.
1. Phase One: Strawberry and shopping

Ok, this is a very short story with the song Womanizer by Britney Spears in it. I did alter some of the song lyrics which makes the song fairly funny, but also reflects the Ichigo/Rukia relationship pretty well (I think) or could if it goes anywhere. (-) before and after a sentence means that the person is thinking.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

- thinking -  
"speaking"

* * *

_"Hi, I'm Ichigo Kurosaki. Today is my 21st birthday."_

Life has been pretty boring the last few years, especially after the war with Aizen and then being drafted into helping with the restoration and protection of the Soul Society and cleaning up what was left of the arrancar.

Otherwise, things had been fairly peaceful. Somehow Ichigo and his friends all managed to graduate high school, though he still wondered how he ever got any homework done after Rukia crash landed into his life. He was going to be a senior in college this fall and he was excited to get through it and take some time off to enjoy life before deciding to go on to Graduate School or possibly fall into some career that he enjoyed. He was really hoping for the latter as he just didn't know what he would study if he had to go back. Either way he doubted any career could be as exciting or rewarding as being a Shinigami had been for him. After doing what he had been for the last six years, any other job seemed pretty insignificant.

Shortly after graduation, Ichigo had insisted on moving out, mainly because Yuzu and Karin were driving him nuts with their teenage hormones and mood swings plus his dad has seriously gone off the deep end the last few years. He only hoped his reputation would be enough to keep those hormone driven miscreants away from his sisters. Luckily, they all got accepted to a local University so he was able to move right into the school housing, which was nicer than dorms, but not quite like having your own apartment. One of the bonuses, or maybe it was a curse, was that they allowed co-ed housing. Somehow Ichigo ended up rooming with Rukia, while Uryu and Orihime became roommates. Chad decided to stay living at his place since it was fairly close to campus. Keigo and Mizuiro were terribly disappointed when they ended up roommates and wondered how Ichigo and Uryu were lucky enough to get to room with girls. Tatsuki roomed in the housing on the other side of campus. It was especially for those with sports scholarships and she had received a full ride because of her karate.

Everything went fairly well with Ichigo and Rukia, having actually lived together in the same room for years, having separate rooms and bathrooms made things absolutely heavenly, though neither would admit that they had learned to enjoy their close quarters. They were like mini-apartments with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a small kitchen with a living room attached, with each floor having a laundry room. Ichigo still hadn't figured out how Rukia was allowed in the housing since she wasn't even going to college with them. He was sure that the Soul Society had something to do with it, but he decided it really wasn't important.

Needless to say Uryu and Orihime didn't have it so easy. Their main problem was simply having someone else around all the time. They had spent so much time living alone that having another person around so much was sometimes unsettling.

* * *

Ichigo yawned and stretched his body out in bed before sitting up with a yawn. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and then glared at the chappy clock on the wall. Somehow, his plain black clock had vanished and after it was found utterly destroyed outside under a bench, Rukia had just happened to have an extra clock that unfortunately looked just like chappy, complete with big googly eyes that moved and floppy ears that ticked along the seconds. He had seriously thought of 'accidentally' destroying it with Zangetsu, but he knew Rukia would never buy that as an excuse. Ichigo looked over at the calendar, noticing the big red circle around today with the number 21 in the middle of it.

Ichigo got out of bed and decided that a nice long shower would be a good way to start the day. He was secretly hoping that his friends would have some sort of party for his birthday this year. Hell, he was 21 and that was a birthday that only happens once, but he hoped that they didn't get him really drunk and leave him naked in someone's yard or worse someone's bed. Ichigo cringed at the thought of some of the girls that he knew would like to take him home and he knew no amount of scrubbing would get him clean after a night with one of them.

After Ichigo went into the bathroom, Rukia listened for the water to start before she went in Ichigo's room to start the events that would lead to a birthday that he would never forget. At least he better not forget it, after all she was going to a lot of work and even though he was worth it he had better show some appreciation. First, she laid out the outfit that she had picked out for him. She knew he would look good in it and knew it would help her out later on. Then she placed a note on it that would lead him on a wild goose chase around town long enough that they could get things prepared without the chance of him sticking his nose into things.

The main thing was to keep him away from the club until it was time for the show, though she knew it would be tough since he worked there part-time as a bouncer and bartender; plus it was practically their second home. She knew he would be suspicious of something if he went there and noticed that none of the regulars were there. Even though it was mainly a night club there was still some daytime customers that were daily regulars. It wasn't hard to get Shinji, the club owner to go along with their plan but convincing the regulars not to mention it to Ichigo was a little more difficult, though after some persuasion from Chad, Rukia was sure things would go smoothly. As she stood there thinking about the things that still needed to be done she heard the water in the shower shut off. Before hurrying out of their apartment, Rukia scribbled something on Ichigo's calendar, and then smirked to herself, knowing the surprise that waited Ichigo at the end of his day. Little did he know that she was sending him on a day out to buy things for his own party. The plan of course was to make him think that no one remembered and then get him good at the club later; since he was scheduled to work she hoped the list was enough to keep him busy till then.

Ichigo emerged from the bathroom and though he thought he heard someone, he shook it off and went back to his room. To say that he was surprised that someone had been in his room was an understatement. At first he thought it was one of his crazed fan girls, but then he noticed the note that had Rukia's trademark chappy drawings on it. Sighing in relief as he had thought he made sure no one at work knew where he lived, he decided to humor her, simply because he was hoping that this would have something to do with his birthday but much to his dismay, it was a shopping list.

_Hey Ichigo,_

_Shinji asked if you could pick up some stuff for the club and gave me the list for you. I knew you didn't have any plans today so if you could get everything before your shift starts that would be great. Oh, Orihime and I have some errands to run before tonight and the guys are helping Shinji move in some new equipment for the club, so you'll have to go by yourself._  
_  
Thanks, Rukia_  
_  
P.S. Oh, Shinji also needs you to go by the distributor and get some beer and alcohol for the week. They have the order ready; you just need to pick it up._  
_  
List of items needed for the club_  
_150 plastic cups_  
_4 packages of multicolored streamers_  
_1 camera for each table in the club- **24**_  
_5 packs of batteries_  
_10 boxes of hot wings_  
_8 cans of nuts_  
_5 packages of toilet paper_  
_3 packs of light bulbs_  
_6 cartons of cigarettes_  
_etc._

Ichigo sighed as he knew that this would take up most of his afternoon, especially picking up the alcohol. He would have to take the Tahoe to be able to pick the entire order up and take it in one trip as he knew multiple trips would waste even more time than he had to spare. He sighed again as he realized that lunch would have to be on the way across town to the mall to get this stuff, considering most of the smaller stores went out of business once the mall came. The distribution center was on the other side of town from the club so it would be an hour or more trip with just the driving. If he had known he would have so much to do, then he would have gotten up earlier or at least expected Rukia to wake him up.

Ichigo didn't really think twice before putting on the clothes laid out on his bed. Rukia tended to do that some days if she got bored, plus he decided that if she liked what he was wearing, it sure couldn't hurt anything. Rukia and he had danced around each other for years, but were either too stubborn, too clueless to the vibes they subconsciously gave each other or just too afraid to really act on anything. Even though they shared hugs and denied stolen kisses, always blaming the alcohol or a dare from some nameless 'friend' for their lack of restraint. Most people assumed they were 'together' though they never saw any actual proof, but most were too afraid to try anything with either of them for fear of retribution. They were always together and most of the time Ichigo had an arm around Rukia or she was dragging him around by the belt loops on his pants. It was easy to see how people got the wrong idea. Personally, though Ichigo didn't have a problem with people getting the wrong idea, as long as they didn't talk about it.

After getting dressed in his light blue under shirt with a yellow collared, button up shirt that had the large plaid in blue that he decidedly left open with a dark pair of blue jeans, he grabbed the list and pulled out of the parking lot. He didn't however, notice the newly drawn chappy on his calendar that now said 'gotcha'. He had to admit that Rukia had first-rate taste in what looked good on him, and he had to admit that he looked pretty damn good.

Ichigo decided to call Shinji and make sure Rukia remembered everything that was needed and to see if any of it really was. It wouldn't be the first time she had got the days mixed up and sent him for stuff when they didn't need it. Ichigo pulled out his phone and dialed Shinji's number and waited for him to answer.

_"Hey, dick head! What the hell you calling for?"_ came a voice across the phone that Ichigo immediately recognized as Hiyori.

_"Hey, what is a kid like you doing in a bar? Just give the phone to Shinji, I need to talk to him about the order"_ replied Ichigo with slight irritation.

_"What's wrong with it dick head? Did you forget how to read or something? Do you need someone to draw you a picture? I'm sure Rukia would have obliged if you had just asked"_ came Hiyori's reply while Ichigo could hear laughing in the background.

_"Hey Ichigo, what's up? Is there a problem with the order?"_ came the annoying voice of the club owner and long time friend Shinji over the phone.

_"Oh... no. I just wanted to make sure everything was on it and that Rukia hadn't put the cart before the horse this time. I didn't think we would need any supplies till later in the week"_ Ichigo said with slight surprise in his voice.

_"No, we really need all that stuff. I guess the orders from last week got messed up. Anyway, take your time and make sure you get everything. We'll see you later, ok man"_ Shinji replied rather quickly and hung up.

Ichigo looked at his phone and then shrugged it off, kinda surprised that they hadn't said anything about his birthday either. Being close to noon, Ichigo pulled into his favorite fast food place and placed an order. Then he spent the next hour waiting downtown during lunch hour traffic on his way to the mall, and as realization of the day hit, he cursed that today just had to be a Saturday so everything was worse then usual. He knew as soon as he arrived at the mall he would spend his time trying to find this stuff to buy, while the young high school girls followed him around talking about his hair or whatever it was they found so fascinating about him.

* * *

Thanks for reading and I hope you have enjoyed the story so far.

**ORIGINAL POSTING DATE:** May 19, 2009

**WORDS:** 2214


	2. Phase Two: Preparations and practice

After Ichigo got his 'lunch' and it was gone, he had nothing else to do but sit in his vehicle and wait for traffic to move so he could get to the most tortuous part of the day, shopping. What he hadn't noticed when he left the house was what a nice day it was. The sun was out, a few clouds in the sky and a nice summer breeze blew threw his hair as he sat in traffic with the windows down.

* * *

Rukia waited till she couldn't hear the Tahoe anymore and then quickly called Uryu to pick her up. She knew he had to come back to campus to pick up Orihime anyway so it wouldn't be a hassle for him. When they arrived at the club Rukia sent Uryu and Orihime to set up the tables and chairs that had been put away so the floor could be cleaned. Rukia decided to double check her list of preparations and make sure everything was ready to set up when she got back from picking up the rest of the guests. Rukia noticed that Shinji was digging around in the back and decided now was a good time to borrow his vehicle to pick everyone up.

_"Hey Shinji, you're going to let me borrow your Yukon so I can pick up the other guests, right?"_ inquired Rukia.

_"Where is the Tahoe at?"_ questioned Shinji suspiciously.

_"Duh, did you forget that I had to let Ichigo use it today so we could get things ready for tonight? Besides the Yukon has more room than the Tahoe"_ replied Rukia with an irritated look on her face.

_"Oh yeah, I suppose. Just don't let anyone get it dirty, especially Kenpachi"_ he replied with a glare.

_"Thanks a lot. I really appreciate it. I'm sure Ichigo will too!"_ yelled Rukia as she hurried to leave.

-Okay now, I've got to pick them up and make sure they all have a gigai from Urahara and then get them all back here together in one piece. Yeah, piece of cake- thought Rukia sarcastically.

Just as Rukia arrived at the underground training area of Urahara's shop she noticed the last of the guests coming through the senkai gate. As she waited she silently counted off all the guests. There was Renji, Rangiku, Toshiro, Ikkaku, Hanataro, Kukaku, Ganju, Shunsui, Jushiro, Yachiru, and finally Kenpachi. Rukia sighed as she was glad there wasn't anymore or they would have had to have two vehicles. Luckily though Yachiru, Toshiro and Hanataro were small enough that everyone else should have enough room to be comfortable, though she wouldn't mention that out loud. They all went upstairs and quickly got into the gigai that Urahara had prepared. Some of them already had gigai from previous trips here so really only a few of them had to actually adjust to the body. After helping anyone who needed it and making sure everyone's worked to their satisfaction they all piled into Shinji's Yukon and headed back to the club to start setting things up.

* * *

By the time Ichigo reached the mall, he was almost ready to pull his hair out. He definitely had a bad case of road rage, which explained why no one ever let him drive unless he was alone. Byakuya had been generous enough to help with their financial situation, but after Ichigo purposefully ran into a few people who had rubbed him the wrong way, Byakuya made it a point that if Ichigo was going to drive he had to pay his own insurance. Considering his age and his 'accidents' it did help Ichigo think a bit harder about what he did behind the wheel. That monthly payment had become a constant reminder and a serious pain in the ass.

As he got out of his SUV he double checked to make sure he had the list and plotted the quickest way of getting in and out and hopefully doing so with his sanity intact. After an hour of shopping he found that most of the items had been fairly easy to acquire except he had to go to 2 or 3 different stores to find enough boxes of hot wings and single use cameras that were on Shinji's list. He seriously considered telling Shinji that this was the last time he ever shopped for work

The least favorite part of the trip was when he was looking for the toilet paper, he happened to run into one of his fan girls from the bar. It was only three in the afternoon for crying out loud and she already looked ready to hit the club… or more like the street. The thought made Ichigo smirk, especially at what Rukia would say, unfortunately his smirk was taken as an invitation from the unwanted person in front of him. She happened to be a couple years his senior, with long auburn hair that flowed with soft curls and she had an alright body so he couldn't deny that she good looking… somewhere, under all the makeup. He'd seen her before without it and wondered why she did that to herself, yet right now, in the little tube top and tight mini skirt with those heels in a store like this was just downright tacky. Ichigo's only assumption was that she had spied him walking in here and followed him.

_"Oh, Ichigo! What a pleasant surprise it is to see you here. What ever are you doing here shopping, when you should be out celebrating your birthday?"_ questioned the girl whose name suddenly slipped his mind. Brought out of his thoughts he stood there dumbstruck due to her personal knowledge of him, during which she managed to sidle up to him and touch his arm.

_"Oh, erm, uh"_ Ichigo stuttered through a nervous laugh, as his arm flew from her grip and reached behind to scratch his head, _"Shinji asked me to pick up a few things before I start my shift tonight."_

_"Oh really. That's so unfair of them to make you work on your birthday. You should be out living it up, with a girl on each arm."_ she replied, giving him that 'I'll be one of them', look.

_"Well, I've got plans with the gang to have an early dinner before my shift starts"_ Ichigo lied through his teeth, but hoped his acting skills were enough for her to believe.

_"Oh, well that sounds nice. Do you need a date, maybe?"_ she asked as she fluttered her fake lashes. Ichigo was about to become nauseas from the gallon of perfume she had on but decided he needed to make a hasty retreat before he ended up in a situation he didn't want to be in.

_"Oh, well Rukia made the reservations so there are only a certain number of spots"_ Ichigo replied hoping that would get her off his ass. At the mention of Rukia, the other girl all but clammed up and hurriedly said her goodbyes with an added, "Don't tell Rukia about this" before she was gone from his site.

Though he was mildly aware of what people thought of him and Rukia, he didn't know exactly how much control Rukia had over the females that wanted but didn't approach him. He knew because of him and Renji that it was very seldom that any guy came with 10 feet of Rukia with anything more than a 'Hi', even though on several occasions Rukia had socked him and Renji in the gut for growling at some guy who was looking at her in a way they didn't care for.

Ichigo sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time today and it was still so early. He finished up his shopping and loaded everything in the Tahoe. After grabbing a drink from the soda he bought, he started up the vehicle and made his way across town to the distribution center. He hoped that Shinji hadn't put in a very big order, cause he knew the center had an awful time getting them right. At one time the club only made orders monthly, but after him and Rukia spent the better part of 3 hours getting the mistakes in the order fixed they decided that every other week would be better.

* * *

Rukia was glad that it was still fairly early when she arrived back at the club with everyone. She was also glad to notice that everyone else had arrived also. Urahara, Yoruichi, Tatsuki, Chad, Mizuiro and Keigo had all arrived and looked as though they were having little trouble following the orders of what needed to be done, even if Hiyori was the one doing the ordering.

_"Why did we have to come here so early?"_ questioned Toshiro.

_"Oh, don't you remember, Shiro. Rukia, Yoruichi, Orihime and I have to practice our performance for tonight."_ reminded Rangiku

_"I know that, but why did I have to come this early. There are more than enough people here to setup and Ichigo isn't even suppose to be here for a few more hours"_ stated Toshiro with a look that clearly stated he wasn't happy wasting time. He had given up a long time ago with getting anyone who was familiar with him to call him 'Captain'. Though he made sure that everyone else gave him the respect he deserved.

_"Oh… well I suppose that I forgot to mention that we needed a few fill-ins for Ichigo's spot during our practice"_ replied Rangiku sheepishly.

After a moment of thought, realization his Toshiro as to what Rangiku was getting at. _"There is absolutely no way I'm sitting up there and letting you women embarrass me by doing who knows what"_ said Toshiro decisively.

_"Oh come now Toshiro. Let the girls have their fun. You might just enjoy the show"_ stated Kisuke with a hint of mischief in his voice. _"Anyway, I'm off to find the perfect place to set up a spot for some future blackmail"_ he said casually as he walked off toward the stage. Toshiro wasn't sure what the man was up to be he knew he would probably regret not finding out later.

_"Yes, as enjoyable as all the paperwork I have waiting back in my office"_ stated Toshiro gruffly, though a hint of a smile showed through the look on his face.

Everyone hurriedly got to work so they could all watch the practice run, as hearing bits and pieces of it from the women had everyone wondering what exactly they were going to put Ichigo and his 'impersonators' through. Considering the size of the club, it only holds around 300 when at maximum capacity it didn't take them long to get everything pretty much done. They only really had to worry about the bar and stage, everything else just needed to be set up for a regular night. Rukia knew though that Ichigo would be happy that he didn't have to do that for once. It was usually part of his job to get the tables and chairs set up before the late night rush.

They decided to take an hour for a couple practice runs and then finish getting ready for Ichigo. As everyone gathered around the stage the girls first pulled Uryu up to sit in Ichigo's spot this time.

-Ichigo owes me big for this- thought Uryu, though he couldn't deny that he was kinda excited about what was going to happen. He knew he and Orihime would be two of the only people who remembered everything tonight since they still weren't old enough to drink.

As the girls sang through their song, dancing in provocative ways and causing most of the men in the room to blush; Uryu noticed Orihime walking up to him. She came up behind him and ran her hands down the front of his chest and walked around to the side of the chair and laid across it and Uryu's lap. As she laid there for several seconds, Uryu thought he was going to pass out, she was so close and his hands itched to touch her. He knew his face was several shades of red, but then he was brought out of his thoughts as she abruptly sat up and gave him a quick kiss. Uryu sat there in silence until the end of the song and afterward Orihime helped him off the stage and to a seat where he finally started to calm down.

Everyone stood up clapping for the performance and for how utterly embarrassed Uryu had been at the end. Rangiku noticed Toshiro trying to escape but quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him on stage for his 'turn'.

Before they started singing again, the girls discussed what they would do different this time, because of certain things that they felt didn't go right or they didn't like the first time around.

As Toshiro sat and watched the performance he did everything he could not to pay much attention to it. He didn't want to end up like Uryu and figured this was the only way for him to go about it. Toshiro was so deep in thought that he hadn't noticed Rangiku walk up to him. He had spaced off and was staring into his lap when a face appeared there with a rather noticeable set of breasts under it. Toshiro was startled back to reality when he realized that Rangiku was practically nose to nose with him. He went to move away from her, but only succeeded in hitting his head on the back of the chair. Before he could react, Rangiku had climbed onto his lap and proceeded to whisper something in his ear. By the time she got up he was twice as red as Uryu and in desperate need of some fresh air. Luckily though, the song ended soon after and he rushed outside to cool off.

The girls quickly discussed what they had liked of both performances and the changes they would make for the final one. Rukia was getting excited since it would soon be her turn with Ichigo.

* * *

Thankfully, Ichigo managed to get across town rather quickly, since it wasn't a busy time of day. He went into the front of the building to check if the order was ready. They said it was and that he needed to park around back so they could load it. After parking he got out of the vehicle and checked his watch. He noticed that it was around four so he had almost three hours before his shift started. As Ichigo climbed up to the loading dock, someone handed him the order forms so he could double check everything and then sign off on it. The first thing he noticed was that they had handed him the wrong order form. So after asking four different people about the issue, he finally got someone who gave him the right order form. As he went down the line reading off items as they were loaded into the Tahoe, he noticed that a couple things had been forgotten. So after spending 20 minutes arguing over the mix up in the paperwork and then another 30 minutes waiting on them to find the merchandise and get it loaded, Ichigo was finally ready to head back to the bar. It was right around five thirty when Ichigo started his way back through the traffic. He was glad everything was straightened out as fast as it was or he would be late getting back. Ichigo decided to sit back and relax and hopefully work would go better then the rest of his day had.

* * *

After the girls had caught their breath, everyone looked around for anything that needed finishing up before the guest of honor arrived. Rukia decided that it was about time for Ichigo to be on his way, especially after all the stuff she had set up to go wrong during his day. First getting Shinji to slip the information to that girl about Ichigo being out and then telling the guys at the distribution center to purposefully mess up the order. Ichigo would kill her if he ever found out she had planned it all. Hell, she figured he would be pissed off enough after he found out the trip itself was just a way to get him gone for the day, but she fully planned on making it up to him. After calming down from the excitement of everything going on around her, Rukia slipped out the front door to call Ichigo. She knew if she was inside, then he would surely recognize someone's voice and wonder what was going on. She dialed the number and waited impatiently for him to pick up.

_"Oh hey Rukia, what's up?"_ questioned Ichigo.

_"Oh, not much really. Just wondering if you were on your way. Shinji is beginning to think that you flaked on him"_ she responded laughing at the intentional jab that she knew would get Ichigo going.

_"Why that untrusting ass. Like I've ever 'flaked' on anything while working or doing something for work"_ replied Ichigo. Rukia could just tell there was a scowl on his face and she felt sorry for anyone driving on the road with him at the moment.

_"Well you know there was that one time you tried to leave and fight that guy who was hitting on Tatsuki. Unfortunately, I think everyone had a little too much to drink that night"_ laughed Rukia at the memory. It had taken a threat of Chad sitting on Ichigo and letting the fan girls go for what they could get for him to straighten up and get over his grudge.

_"Yeah, yeah, whatever Rukia. Anyway, I just left the distribution center a few minutes ago so I'll be there shortly before my shift starts"_ replied Ichigo.

_"Okay, I'll see you later then"_ answered Rukia.

_"Bye"_ came Ichigo's response before hanging up. He always had to have the last word, that ass.

Rukia went back inside and stood there admiring all their hard work. The large circle, oak bar was decorated with streamers and balloons. The center of the bar contained a round cooler that went to the ceiling and was covered with mirrors on the outside and had shelves containing different liquors that reflected off the glass. In the areas where there were no shelves, Rukia and Orihime had gathered together a ton of pictures of Ichigo from the time he was little until now. Some of the pictures were even from their time in Soul Society. The girls had arranged them in a collage fashion so that at the end of the night it could be removed and sent home with Ichigo. Rukia had laughed so hard at some of the pictures of Ichigo as a child that Isshin had supplied. Tatsuki had brought some of them from karate class, several of them including a crying Ichigo and overly happy Tatsuki. They even included some of them setting up the party tonight and they included everyone's signatures and a message from each guest to Ichigo.

The stage also had streamers and balloons, but also had an array of extra lighting; including some strobe lights and a fog machine. The catwalk had lights that trailed down each side and there was a large disco ball setting above where Ichigo would sit. Deciding that everything was finished, they just had to sit back and wait for Ichigo to get there.

"Alright everyone. Ichigo will be here in about an hour so we just need to tidy things up and get ready for one hell of a night!" shouted Rukia in hopes that everyone would hear her. She went to check on the final preparations and thought to herself, -Tonight is going to be perfect-.

* * *

Okay. Well, the next chapter is the big performance we've been waiting for. I hope everyone enjoys the show.

**ORIGINAL POSTING DATE:** May 21, 2009

**WORDS:** 3223


	3. Phase Three: Dancing and declarations

When Ichigo entered the club, it was pitch black except for the light coming from the bar. As he got closer he could sense a lot of people around him but he couldn't see anyone. As he finally reached the bar with the box of supplies the lights came on and everyone yelled, _"Surprise! Happy Birthday, Ichigo!"_After his terrible day, he was literally shocked into silence. He finally realized that the 'list' had been more of a distraction than anything and couldn't decide if he was going to be mad about it now or later.

His friends from college were there including Tatsuki, Chad, Uryu, Keigo and Mizuiro. The vizards Shinji, who owned the club, and Hiyori were there fixing drinks for everyone which relieved Ichigo as he knew Hiyori wouldn't be drinking. Her temper was 10 times worse when she had been drinking and Ichigo knew if she did, that he and Shinji would be lucky to leave the bar alive, let alone walking. Kisuke was sitting near the stage and had a mischievous look about him, which Ichigo was sure had something to do with the camcorder that was strapped to his hand. Plus Renji, Ikkaku, Toshiro, Hanataro, Shunsui, Jushiro, Yachiru and even Kenpachi were there. Several of the people there gave him a knowing look, with the looks from Uryu and Toshiro somewhere between mortification and pity, though he noticed they both carried a slight smirk. He noticed Kukaku and Ganju going in the back with some pyrotechnic equipment.

Tatsuki and Renji sat down by Ichigo at the bar and Shinji lined them all up a few shots and a bottle of sake for afterward. Ichigo tried to stop after the first but after a few taunts of, _"Oh, the lightweight strawberry can't handle a few shots"_from Renji and Tatsuki, Ichigo had downed a few more than they had and in his rush to prove a point didn't realize that he had taken their shots as well. Ichigo noticed there was a small buffet set up for them to grab some food, so he made a couple trips over there as he was starving after his stressful day. They sat around for a while talking, eating and drinking some sake before it was announced over the speakers that everyone needed to go to the stage area. Ichigo recognized the voice as Rukia's and wondered why she hadn't shown up to wish him happy birthday yet.

After the food settled and the alcohol started to sink in, Tatsuki and Renji lead Ichigo over to the stage and out to the end of the catwalk where there was a fairly comfortable chair sitting. There they instructed Ichigo that this was the seat of honor and this is where he would sit to watch the show, as though the sign that read 'Ichigo sits here!' on the chair wasn't enough of a clue. At first he refused, thinking they had something horrible in store for him, but Renji told him that if he didn't sit there then Rukia would be terribly disappointed, so he sat down and prepared himself for whatever was to come. Though what happened next was not anything that he was expecting.

* * *

As the music started, Ichigo sat at the end of the catwalk in a rather comfortable black leather chair, wondering what on Earth would happen. The stage in front of him was dark for a few seconds and then the lights gradually came on, and then dimmed off; Ichigo noticed someone on stage, though he wasn't certain who it was as it became dark again before he could get a good look. After a few more seconds the lights came on again and then there were two people on stage and he had decided that they were female. After sitting through another few seconds of music the lights came back on two more times and when the beat started to pick up, Ichigo could make out who the four women on stage were. At that exact moment he knew he was in deep shit. On the far left was Rangiku in a white low v-necked tank with blue jean skirt, then on the far right was Yoruichi in a much more modest beige vest with a purple mini skirt. To his left was Rukia in a blue strapless baby doll top with white layered skirt and to his right was Orihime who wore a green fitted dress that stopped above the knee.

Rangiku and Yoruichi stepped forward and they alternated singing each line from the song. Behind them Orihime and Rukia were doing the backup singing and some sassy little dance moves.

Yoruichi- **_"Superstar. Where you from, how's it going?"_**  
Rangiku- **_"I know you, gotta clue what you're doing?"_**  
Yoruichi- **_"You can play brand new to all the other chicks out here"_**  
Rangiku- **_"But I know what you are, what you are, baby"_**

As they sang, they slowly got closer to Ichigo and this made Ichigo very uneasy. He didn't know what he would do if they tried doing something to him on stage in front of everyone, but he knew it was definitely a possibility that they would. As the distance between them and him became less he noticed small bursts of fireworks going off on the sides of the stage, but was brought back to his current situation when the girls reached him. He turned 10 shades of red when they circled around him and each kissed him on the cheek before they started the walk back toward the main stage. Ichigo sat back and took a deep breath to compose himself and hoped that was all they were going to do to him.

Yoruichi- **_"Look at you, gettin' more than just re-up"_**  
Rangiku- **_"Baby, you got all the puppets with their strings up"_**  
Yoruichi- **_"Fakin' like a good one, but I call em like I see em"_**  
Rangiku-**_ "I know what you are, what you are, baby"_**

Then they stepped back and all the girls sang the chorus.

**_Shinigami, Shini-Shinigami, your a Shinigami_**  
**_Oh Shinigami, oh you're a Shinigami, baby_**  
**_You, you, you are; you, you, you are_**  
**_Shinigami, Shinigami, Shinigami_**

Everyone, including Ichigo burst out laughing after that part.

**_Boy don't try to front _**  
**_I know just-just what you are_**  
**_Boy don't try to front _**  
**_I know just-just what you are_**

_**You got me goin'**_  
_**You're oh so charmin'**_  
_**But I can't do it**_  
_**Shinigami**_

_**Boy don't try to front **_  
_**I know just-just what you are**_  
_**Boy don't try to front **_  
_**I know just-just what you are**_

_**You say I'm crazy**_  
_**I got your crazy**_  
_**You're nothing but a**_  
_**Shinigami**_  
_**[End chorus]**_

As the music changed back to the main lyrics, Rukia and Orihime stepped up this time to sing, which got Ichigo interested at the idea of Rukia kissing him too, so he sat up.

Rukia- **_"Ichig-O, you got the swagger of a champion"_**  
Orihime- **_"Too bad for you"_**  
Rukia- **_"You just can't find the right companion"_**  
Orihime- **_"I guess when you have one too many,"_**  
Rukia- **_"Makes it hard, it could be easy,"_**  
Orihime- **_"Who you are, that's just who you are, baby"_**

Again the girls started walking down the catwalk toward Ichigo, but he noticed that Rukia held back while Orihime circled him, kissed his cheek and then walked back to where Rukia was. To say he was disappointed was an understatement. He knew the song wasn't over yet, so he held onto the hope that maybe something else would happen. He sat there as Rukia and Orihime stood back to back as they began to sing again.

Rukia- **_"Lollipop, must mistake me you're the sucker"_**  
Orihime- **_"To think that I, would be a victim not another"_**  
Rukia- **_"Say it, play it how you want it"_**  
Orihime- **_"But no way I'm never gonna fall for you, never you, baby"_**

As the last few lines were sung, Orihime made her way back to the other girls as they all sang the chorus again, this time becoming a little more risqué with their dancing, causing all the guys in the room to adjust themselves in their seat.

_**[chorus]**_

In the background Ichigo could hear Renji complaining, _"Man, I didn't get anything like this on MY birthday. What makes Ichigo so special?"_Ichigo laughed at the comment, but agreed that someone must have thought a lot of him to go to all the trouble of setting this all up for him and he could only hope it was Rukia.

His attention was brought back to the present as Rukia started walking towards him as the chorus was ending again. He completely froze when she came up and straddled his lap while putting an arm around his neck as she started to sing the next lines.

Rukia- **_"Maybe since we both live in a different world,_**  
**_It could be all good, and maybe I could be your girl,_**  
**_And we can, but we don't, why"_**

Then she pulled him in for a long kiss as the other girls finished singing the rest of the song and in that instant everyone around them disappeared.

**_[chorus]_**

**_Boy don't try to front _**  
**_I know just-just what you are_**  
**_Boy don't try to front _**  
**_I know just-just what you are_**

**_Shinigami, Shini-Shinigami, your a Shinigami_**  
**_Oh Shinigami, oh you're a Shinigami, baby._**

Ichigo hadn't realized that his hands had become 'unfroze' and had moved on their own to rest on Rukia's upper thighs during her singing. He became very aware of her hands in his hair and the warmth radiating off her body. Slowly Ichigo moved his hands to her back so he could pull her deeper into the kiss. He couldn't believe that she was kissing him and he actually pulled up the nerve to kiss her back. She wasn't pulling away and yelling at him and the longer she sat in his lap the more he realized how perfectly she fit up against him. Rukia realized that Ichigo may have forgot where they were and though she was enjoying herself immensely, she didn't want to end up naked somewhere in the club… tonight anyway. She reluctantly pulled away from Ichigo and noticed the momentary look of loss on his face.

Rukia leaned over to his ear and said, _"Now, I'm not the only one who wants to spend time with you tonight. Don't worry we can finish this later."_Ichigo immediately brightened up with that thought and they went to join their friends at the bar for enough drinks to get everyone plastered. Ichigo stood there and admired all the hard work that his friends had went to and then he realized that Shinji had finally started letting the regular customers in as the usual music came on and people seemed to suddenly be everywhere. Most came up to him and congratulated him on his birthday and his newly founded relationship.

Urahara came up and informed Ichigo that he had missed quite the show earlier when the girls were rehearsing for tonight especially when it came to who his stand-ins were. Ichigo was about to get pissed over Rukia climbing on some other guys like she had him until Urahara informed him of the slight differences in the performances.

_"Don't worry Ichigo, I got it all on tape so don't let these guys give you shit about it. They were all just as bad, so much so we thought Uryu would pass out and Toshiro's head would pop off. I of course volunteered to sit through a pass with Yoruichi but she refused"_ Urahara laughed as Ichigo gave him a look. _"Hey man, you gotta get your kicks while you can"_said Kisuke innocently.

_"Yeah right, you're such a womanizer"_ replied Ichigo as he put an arm around Rukia and pulled her up against his side.

* * *

Later on Rukia sat back watching Ichigo with his friends and thought about him and herself. -We have developed an eternal connection that stemmed from an accidental meeting. He accepted his destined fate and took the road less traveled. Because of his resolve we can always be together. It's amazing how even though we are so totally different, it seems we were made to complete the other. Just like yin and yang. I am the light to his dark and he is the fire to my ice.- Rukia then jumped up and rejoined the party.

After a full night of partying, the couple somehow managed to get back to their place around 3am. After running into their apartment they slammed the door and sat down by it while trying to contain their laughter after having pulled some horrible prank on the doorman that they were sure they wouldn't remember tomorrow.

Suddenly, the nights events dawned on them and they realized for the first time they were together alone and officially a couple. After the initial blush went away, Ichigo leaned over Rukia's smaller frame and simply said, "I'm glad things turned out the way they did, even though we waited all this time. I could never have gotten over losing you as a friend if something had gone wrong".

_"Same here"_replied Rukia quietly. She closed the space between them and kissed Ichigo. At first it was gentle, but then as they got into it the kiss became more passionate and wanton. All the years worth of frustration at their situation, nervousness that prevented their actions, concern for each other, fighting with each other which always included yelling at each other, crying over uncontrollable situations, passion for each other and finally their inevitable love went into their kiss.

Then Ichigo suddenly grabbed Rukia up and slung her over his shoulder while trying to keep from falling over. He managed to make it to his bed with her kicking, hitting and biting before he unceremoniously dumped her on his bed. Rukia tried to scowl at him through her disheveled hair, but it only served to make the smirk on his face turn into a full out smile. Ichigo took his shirts off and looked down to see a momentarily speechless Rukia. He chuckled as he thought -Now I know what to do to get her to shut up-. Then he climbed on the bed and leaned over Rukia to turn the lights off. As he neared her, Rukia felt frozen, anxious of what Ichigo would do next. He leaned into her and as his mouth reached her ear she heard him whisper, _"By day I vow to protect you and by night I promise to embrace you. I'll love you forever. As long as I'm living, together we'll be."_

**The End**

* * *

Sorry, there was no lemon in there. I love reading them, but I really don't think I could ever write a good one. I would hate to try and muck up the story with a horrible sex scene, ya know. I hope everyone understood what Ichigo said there at the end. It was a mix between something from a children's book and a quote from the manga. I also tried to play off the thing about him being the black sun and her the white moon with him protecting her during the day and embracing her at night with the day as his time and the night as hers. Well, let me know what you think. I hope everything made sense and I hope that everyone found something enjoyable about it.

**ORIGINAL POSTING DATE:**May 24, 2009

**WORDS:** 2444


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